North State Deserves Better than Tantrum-Throwing LaMalfa

America’s democracy is built on the principle that the majority rules, and that the minority will be heard, even though they may be overruled. Today’s GOP has irresponsibly thrown that time-honored philosophy out the window by creating the current government shutdown crisis.

The Tea Party caucus has swung a once-proud party to an appalling extreme. They represent only a small portion of the voting public, but insist that their demands must be met for the federal government to operate.

They don’t know what goals they want to achieve aside from hurting the President, and they don’t care what price the American people have to pay for their tactics.

This is no way to run a nation. We deserve better.

The root of their argument is that they’re upset that they aren’t getting their way. I understand their frustration, but there are productive ways to address it. Tea Party representatives should make the case to the public that their views are right, their opponents are wrong, and that they deserve to be supported in the next election. Then they should let the people weigh their case and render a judgment at the voting booth.

That’s the responsible path, but, sadly, it’s not the one they’ve chosen. One doesn’t have to agree with the results of an election in order to respect them. It’s ironic that these same legislators claim to be the defenders of our Constitution and our democratic system, yet still lead this revolt against the electoral process that led to a Democratic Senate and a second term for the President.

This scorched-earth strategy, enabled and abetted by Republican leaders in the House, amounts to a dangerous tantrum, but it’s us – the American people – who are left to deal with the mess they’re making.

Our current Representative, Doug LaMalfa, has joined this tantrum. He and his allies have thrown over the moderates in his own party, and ignored the needs of tens of thousands of his constituents, in order to play at anarchy. Millions of Americans are being denied essential services so that this dangerous game can continue.

If you ask Tea Party representatives directly what they actually want to gain from this, you won’t get a clear answer. The reason is because they don’t have one. There’s no alternative to Obamacare ready to go, and no plan to provide coverage to millions of citizens being failed by the private market because of preexisting conditions, catastrophic illness, or an inability to pay.

All they know is that they don’t like the Affordable Care Act, and they want it gone. If that means keeping 800,000 jobs from getting done, shutting down vital services, and denying paychecks to workers around the country, so be it.

Rep. LaMalfa’s actions, like those of the rest of the “Suicide Caucus” – the name conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer gave Representatives who think we have to destroy our economy in order to save it – are shameful and truly unconscionable.

The saddest part is that there is common ground on ways to improve the health care law. The Medical Device Tax, for example, has opposition in both parties and could have been repealed through the regular legislative process. But rather than work across the aisle, LaMalfa and his allies are just refusing to work, and not letting anyone else work, either.

I am running for Congress because I have seen Rep. LaMalfa vote time and again against working families, women, children, and steps that would grow and strengthen our economy, all because his right-wing views are more important to him than his constituents. Our system makes us, the American people, ultimately responsible for our government. It’s up to us to make a change.

We can grow our small businesses, attract new industries, and create good-paying jobs, if we retake control of our government and get it back to work on solving problems instead of manufacturing them.

And let’s be clear, there is a lot of work left to do: Budgets need to be passed, regulations must be streamlined, health care costs must come down, and businesses need to be supported. This will only happen if we restore responsible leadership to Congress, and elect candidates who respect the people’s voice as much as their own.

Our North State families and businesses are struggling now, but we’re ready to grow. Congress should get back to work helping us do that.

After all, that’s their job.

Heidi Hall, Congressional candidate

Heidi Hall lives in Grass Valley and is the Democratic Congressional candidate for District 1. More information can be found at www.heidihallforcongress.com.

Independent online journalist Doni Chamberlain founded what’s now known as anewscafe.com in 2007 with her son, Joe Domke of the Czech Republic. Chamberlain is an award-winning newspaper opinion columnist, feature and food writer recognized by the Associated Press, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and E.W. Scripps. She lives in Redding, California.

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13 Responses

this is exactly the misguided and uneducated attitude we don't need in the north state. Mrs. Hill says that the majority should rule. Before the last election, democrats help the majority in both houses of congress. after the democrats rammed through the affordable care act. the house of representatives changed hands because a majority of people in each district decided that they did not approve of what their representative was doing in congress, and they decided the direction of this country should change. many polls have shown that a majority of people disapprove of the health care law and they it repealed. for a long our district has been a very conservative district with very conservative values however if Mrs. Hall was our representative she would have voted with her party and ignored the very people she represents. I believe Doug LaMalfa did represent his district and did the right thing to protect the interest of the people he represents

Representative LaMalfa in no way represents me or mine. He is a Herger picked and cloned teahead who opposed a health care bill that most approved and needed. Tell a young child he is no longer going to get life saving treatment and medication that will save his life because cold hearted congressmen like subsidy taking LaMalfa wanted to kill to spite a president that he and his cronies don't like.

These child like old white men thought nothing of putting millions out of work , closing national parks and monuments at a colossal cost and what did they get, zilch, zero, nothing. The American people got the shaft and depicted the not so grand ol party as thugs. The Affordable Care Act, like Social Security and Medicare, is law and it's not the responsibility of a few Koch bought congressmen to repeal or stall it.

Their job, pure and simple, is to pay the nation's bills and create measures for the betterment of the United States and not to appease two old fart billionaires.

Our country because of these yahoos became the laughing stock of the world. We were compared to Rome burning and teetered on the brink of financial disaster and you think this rice farmer acted responsible? And then there's Ted Cruz, chum to kiss of death Sarah Palin. He too wants to kick Obamacare to the curb. What's his health insurance plan? More of the same, keep raising rates, disqualifying prevailing illness and not paying premiums. I and most Americans want legislator's coverage. Paid for, everything with no copays for life in the finest hospitals like Walter Reed.

OK, I checked out your website. Nice take on the ACA; how about Medicare for everyone? So far, so good, but you have no 2nd Amendment position on there. Without strong support for gun owners, you have no chance. It would be nice to get rid of LaMalfa, but rural moderates will not vote for you without it, and you need us to have any chance at all.

Even Jim Reed, who is truly a moderate Democrat, an honorable man, and a supporter of the 2nd Amendment could not beat the corporate-welfare tea party farmer. It's pretty much mindless Republicanism up here. Good luck.

Rhetoric is fine, but back up statements that Rep. LaMalfa voting record is against working families, women, and children. http://lamalfa.house.gov/ Check out his site.

You make assumptions that he is a right-winger; and that his view are more important than his constituents. You can not know what he thinks or feels. Shame!

Budgets need to be passed. For the first time, the Senate under Democrats for 7 years, hadn't passed a budget. They stand lockstep for their adjenda along with the President, and will not negotiate. That isn't being responsible! Government is a two way street; not what has been happening, which is to do it my way or we shut you down. There was no reason to shut down the government to just vital workers as it was a foregone conclusion that the workers would be paid for staying home! Stupid. Stupid to close down an outdoor memorial in WA, DC. The President did that and other things. Even to try to close down private groups areas such as Washington's Mt. Vernon!

ObamaCare (ACA) has already spent billions of dollars and has not been a success so far. Ask anyone if they can really get their insurance via the broken system to join. Offer of three insurances here on the exchange, but Kaiser isn't even available in the No. State. Then, not be able to tell you the premium cost and deductibles on either of the Blues OK'd. Even if they did, it has no doctors or hospitals signed up. Then, of course, is the doctor and hospital you insurance allows actually in the loop? Oh, that is great.

There have been suggestions and proposals made about changing ObamaCare by the opposition, but they are thrown away without even putting to the vote. The President said he will not negotiate on the pushing back the individual mandate for a year, which the President has given to businesses, union and other pass-overs to the existing law, and is a total catastrophe.

The tax on manufacturers of medical equipment is asinine. The tax will be passed onto hospitals, etc. , which only raises the cost of health care that ACA was meant to change. The President will not sign anything with those items in a Bill. No way should the three branches Legislative, Executive, and Courts not be made to go into ACA as others outside of government. It is time they had to live by the same rules as the whole Country. Nor should the balance of the Country pay for their pass-over. Yes, the population deserves better from ALL of their representative.

If you are running for Congress you need more than what you have on in the LtoE or website. Oh, by the way, I am not a Tea Party person, nor ever attended a meeting. I just believe we need government to working within certain parameters. You, know what I mean: you don't spend more than you take in. You do not make people dependent on the government. The government doesn't own or owe them anything.

Yo Heidi, if you don't know what the Tea Party believes, well then, you've not been listening…..probably by choice. Your ignorance of the Tea Party (I'm not a member, but an admirer) is astounding. I had their platform printed on some shirts: "Smaller Government, Lower Taxes, Honor the Constitution, Personal Responsibilty and Hot Rods". Well, er, uh, the last one might have been a personal favorite.

If you're going to condemn a movement, you might figure out what they're up to before putting your ignorance in print.

Good Luck with your campaign, you're going to need it. BTW, Doug LaMalfa isn't a member of the Tea Party. And Wally Herger never knew what they are.

This is also just Teaparty rhetoric. Lower taxes for whom? The wealthy which right now are doing just fine along with corporations, many of whom don't pay taxes at all. So everyone else suffers because the wealthy and the corporations do not pay their fair share? Personal responsibility? What does that mean? Does that mean that I don't take responsibility for the community in which I live? Do I only care about self? Honor the Constitution? We can argue all day about what the second amendment means–even some Republican Presidents in the past interpreted the second amendment to mean only state militias. Sound bites are never adequate ways of explaining complicated issues as much as some groups would like us to think.